INVESTIGATIONS ON THE FLUID COUPLING OF GEARLESS

There is an increased attention towards the development of Gear-less two-wheeler automobiles [scooters] which have automatic-transmission systems, using centrifugal-clutch systems. These clutch systems have high wear and tear and hence the present research work is taken up to replace the said clutch system with a fluid coupling which may be more effective in wear-free transmission and it will provide a smooth & controlled acceleration with effective damping of shocks, load fluctuations and torsional vibrations. The attention is therefore laid on developing a highly-efficient fluid coupling. This fluid coupling would capture the mechanical power from the main source, namely the I.C. engine and then transmits it to the rear wheels via an automatic gear box. The fluid coupling has an advantage over the mechanical coupling in the following areas. Effective dampening of shocks, load fluctuations and torsional vibrations. Smooth and controlled acceleration without jerks in transmission of the vehicle. Wear-free power transmission because of absence of mechanical connection [no metal-to-metal contact] between the input and output elements. But as the Conventional-fluid couplings have relatively low transmission efficiency, the challenge lies in developing an efficient modified fluid coupling which would transfer the mechanical power with minimum transmission losses in the case of Two-Wheeler automobiles especially the Gear-less Scooters. Presently these vehicles are using a Centrifugal-clutch which has maximum wear and tear frequently. Using the solid works software a fluid coupling was modelled by adjusting the gap between the driver and driven shaft and an estimate of the efficiency was also known.Based on the recommendations of a computational study computational study an initial estimate of the efficiency of a basic modified-fluid coupling design without vanes and consequently in making recommendations on